Discerning sediment provenance in the Outer Banks (USA) through detrital zircon geochronology
John W. Counts, Jared T. Gooley, Joshua Long, William H. Craddock, Paul O’Sullivan
2024, Marine Geology (477)
Detrital zircon data from modern barrier island and estuarine environments in the Outer Banks (Atlantic Coast, USA) were statistically compared to sands from nearby rivers to assist in determining source-to-sink pathways. Fluvial samples, collected from near the Fall Line contact...
Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE)
Jeff Clauson, Cody Anderson, Jim Vrabel
2024, Fact Sheet 2024-3038
The Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) was formed to leverage resources from several Federal agencies for the characterization of remote sensing data and to share those results across the remote sensing community (U.S. Geological Survey, 2024).Remote sensing data and the quality of that data are vital to (1) understanding...
Oxidation is a potentially significant methane sink in land-terminating glacial runoff
Kristin E. Strock, Rachel Krewson, Nicole M. Hayes, Bridget Deemer
2024, Scientific Reports (14)
Globally, aquatic ecosystems are one of the largest but most uncertain sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. It is unclear how climate change will affect methane emissions, but recent work suggests that glacial systems, which are melting faster with climate change, may be an important...
Challenges and future directions in quantifying terrestrial evapotranspiration
K. Yi, Gabriel B. Senay, Jousha B. Fisher, Lixin Wang, Kosana Suvocarev, Housen Chu, Georgianne W. Moore, Kimberly A. Novick, Mallory L. Barnes, Trevor F. Keenan, Kanishka Mallick, Xiangzhong Luo, Justine E.C. Missik, Kyle B. Delwiche, Jacob A. Nelson, Stephen P. Good, Xiangming Xiao, Steven A. Kannenberg, Arman Ahmadi, Tianxin Wang, Gil Bohrer, Marcy E. Litvak, David E. Reed, A. Christopher Oishi, Margaret S. Torn, Dennis Baldocchi
2024, Water Resources Research (60)
Terrestrial evapotranspiration is the second-largest component of the land water cycle, linking the water, energy, and carbon cycles and influencing the productivity and health of ecosystems. The dynamics of ET across a spectrum of spatiotemporal scales and their controls remain an active focus of research across different science disciplines. Here,...
Body size and early marine conditions drive changes in Chinook salmon productivity across northern latitude ecosystems
Megan L. Feddern, Rebecca Shaftel, Erik R. Schoen, Curry J. Cunningham, Brendan M. Connors, Benjamin A. Staton, Al von Finster, Zachary Liller, Vanessa R. von Biela, Katherine G. Howard
2024, Global Change Biology (30)
Disentangling the influences of climate change from other stressors affecting the population dynamics of aquatic species is particularly pressing for northern latitude ecosystems, where climate-driven warming is occurring faster than the global average. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) region occupy the...
Dynamic water-quality responses to wildfire in Colorado
David W. Clow, Garrett Alexander Akie, Sheila F. Murphy, Evan J. Gohring
2024, Hydrological Processes (38)
In 2020, Colorado experienced the most severe wildfire season in recorded history, with wildfires burning 625 357 acres across the state. Two of the largest fires burned parts of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), and a study was initiated to address concerns about potential effects...
Effects of initial vegetation heterogeneity on competition of submersed and floating macrophytes
Linhao Xu, Don DeAngelis
2024, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering (21) 7194-7210
Non-spatial models of competition between floating aquatic vegetation (FAV) and submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) predict a stable state of pure SAV at low total available limiting nutrient level, N, a stable state of only FAV for high N, and alternative stable states for intermediate N, as described by an S-shaped bifurcation curve....
Correlation analysis of groundwater and hydrologic data, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Hawai‘i
Brytne K. Okuhata, Delwyn S. Oki
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5084
Designated in 1978, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park is located on the west coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park encompasses about 1,200 acres of coastal land and nearshore ecosystems, which include wetlands, anchialine pools (landlocked bodies of brackish water with hydrologic connections to the ocean), fishponds,...
One Health collaboration is more effective than single-sector actions at mitigating SARS-CoV-2 in deer
Jonathan D. Cook, Elias Rosenblatt, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Brittany A. Mosher, Fernando Arce, Sonja Christensen, Ria R. Ghai, Michael C. Runge
2024, Nature Communications (15)
One Health aims to achieve optimal health outcomes for people, animals, plants, and shared environments. We describe a multisector effort to understand and mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk to humans via the spread among and between captive and wild white-tailed deer. We first framed a One Health problem with three governance...
Historical insights, current challenges: Tracking marine biodiversity in an urban harbor ecosystem in the face of climate change
Alysha B. Putnam, Sarah C. Endyke, Ally Rose Jones, Lucy A.D. Lockwood, Justin Taylor, Marc Albert, Michelle Staudinger
2024, Marine Biodiversity (54)
The Boston Harbor Islands is the only coastal drumlin archipelago in the USA, featuring a distinctive and uncommon geological intertidal habitat known as mixed coarse substrate, which supports a range of coastal species and ecological processes. Recently designated as one of America’s 11 most endangered historic places due to climate...
Distribution and trends of endemic Hawaiian waterbirds, 1986–2023
P. Marcos Gorresen, Richard J. Camp, Eben H. Paxton
2024, Technical Report HCSU-113
This study updates the status assessment of four endemic endangered Hawaiian waterbird species—ae‘o (Hawaiian stilt, Himantopus mexicanus knudseni), ‘alae ke‘oke‘o (Hawaiian coot, Fulica alai), ‘alae ‘ula (Hawaiian gallinule, Gallinula galeata sandvicensis), and koloa maoli (Hawaiian duck, Anas wyvilliana)—from 1986 to 2016 by incorporating new data from 2017–2023. State-space models, which...
Temperature-driven convergence and divergence of ecohydrological dynamics in the ecosystems of a sky island mountain range
M.D. Petrie, John B. Bradford, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer
2024, Ecohydrology (17)
Forest and woodland decline is predicted to be increasingly influenced by meteorological variation and climate change in the future. By determining how meteorological variation leads to similar versus differing ecohydrological dynamics of forest and woodland ecosystems, we can gain insight on how future climate-driven declines may be realized. We characterized...
Factors affecting the density of Metabetaeus lohena (Decapoda: Alpheidae) at a high-density anchialine pool environment on the Kona Coast of the Island of Hawai‘i
Robert W. Peck, Sarah Nash, Richard J. Camp
2024, Pacific Science (78) 31-50
Caridean shrimps (Caridea) are the dominant macroinvertebrates in most anchialine ecosystems. Hawaiian anchialine ecosystems, primarily composed of shallow surface pools connected to the ocean via hypogeal networks of cracks, tubes, and other voids, support 10 caridean shrimp species, including two federally listed as endangered. Little is known about most of...
One Health best practice case study: Advancing national One Health coordination in the United States through the One Health zoonotic disease prioritization process
Casey Barton Behravesh, Tracey Dutcher, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Jane Rooney, M. Camille Hopkins, Grace Goryoka, Rochelle Medford, Dominic Cristiano, Natalie M. Wendling
2024, One Health Cases (2024)
The U.S. government advances One Health coordination through the best practices of jointly developing shared priorities and utilizing formalized coordination platforms to connect partners from public health, agriculture, wildlife, environment, and other sectors at the national, subnational (e.g. state, tribal, local, and territorial), and non-governmental levels (e.g. academia, industry, non-governmental...
Multiple plant-community traits improve predictions of later-stage outcomes of restoration drill seedings: Implications for metrics of success
Chad Raymond Kluender, Matthew J. Germino, Cara Applestein
2024, Ecological Indicators (167)
Success of ecological restoration is often only knowable if treatments meet criteria defined by biotic thresholds, but analytical frameworks to determine metrics of success and their underlying thresholds are needed. Early indicators of longer-term recovery trajectories are particularly critical where re-treatments...
A "Region-Specific Model Adaptation (RSMA)" based training data method in large-scale land cover mapping
Congcong Li, George Z. Xian, Suming Jin
2024, Remote Sensing (16)
An accurate and historical land cover monitoring dataset for Alaska could provide fundamental information for a range of studies, such as conservation habitats, biogeochemical cycles, and climate systems, in this distinctive region. This research addresses challenges associated with the extraction of training data for timely and accurate land cover...
Applying portfolio theory to benefit endangered amphibians in coastal wetlands threatened by climate change, high uncertainty, and significant investment risk
Mitchell J. Eaton, Adam Terando, Jaime A. Collazo
2024, Frontiers in Conservation Science (5)
The challenge of selecting strategies to adapt to climate change is complicated by the presence of irreducible uncertainties regarding future conditions. Decisions regarding long-term investments in conservation actions contain significant risk of failure due to these inherent uncertainties. To address this challenge, decision makers need an arsenal of sophisticated...
Mesopelagic diet as pathway of high mercury levels in body feathers of the endangered Black-capped Petrel (Diablotin) Pterodroma hasitata
Yvan G. Satgé, Sarah E. Janssen, Gemma Clucas, Ernst Rupp, J. Brian Patteson, Patrick G.R. Jodice
2024, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (52) 261-274
The Diablotin or Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata is an endangered gadfly petrel found in the western North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and northern Gulf of Mexico. An estimated ~2000 pairs nest at five known sites on Hispaniola, Greater Antilles, although only 120 nests have been located to date. We collected breast feathers and...
Shaping the coast: Accounting for the human wildcard in projections of future change
Erika E. Lentz, Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, Sara Zeigler, Renee C. Collini, Margaret L. Palmsten, Davina Passeri
2024, Earth's Future (12)
Coastal change and evolution are the product of physical drivers (e.g., waves) tightly coupled with human behavior. As climate change impacts intensify, demand is increasing for information on where, when, and how coastal areas may change in the future. Although considerable research investments have been made in understanding the physical...
Predicting characteristic length scales of barrier island segmentation in microtidal environments
Rose Elizabeth Palermo, Andrew D. Ashton, Heidi M. Nepf, Mary Kule, Travis Swanson
2024, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (129)
Segmented barrier islands can be found in regions with small tidal ranges. In contrast to tidally dominated barriers, where inlet dynamics are thought to control island length scales, the controls on barrier island length scales in wave-dominated environments have not been quantified. These microtidal barriers typically have...
Pesticide occurrence in shallow groundwater in three regions of agricultural land use: Baldwin County, the Wiregrass region, and the Tennessee River valley region of Alabama, 2009–20
Amy C. Gill
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5069
As part of a cooperative investigation between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, a network of 22 groundwater wells were sampled from 2014 through 2020 for about 230 pesticide and pesticide degradate compounds. Wells were located in three regions of intensive agricultural land use...
Introduction to recommended capabilities and instrumentation for volcano monitoring in the United States
Ashton F. Flinders, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Michelle L. Coombs, Michael P. Poland
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5062-A
IntroductionThe National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) was authorized and partially funded by the U.S. Government in 2019. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Hazards Program asked its scientists to reflect on and summarize their views of best practices for volcano monitoring. The goal was to review and...
Seismic techniques and suggested instrumentation to monitor volcanoes
Weston A. Thelen, John J. Lyons, Aaron G. Wech, Seth C. Moran, Matthew M. Haney, Ashton F. Flinders
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5062-B
IntroductionChanges in the pressure or location of magma can stress or break surrounding rocks and trigger flow of nearby waters and gases, causing seismic signals, such as discrete earthquakes and tremor. These phenomena are types of seismic unrest that commonly precede eruption and can be used to forecast volcanic activity....
Projecting mangrove forest resilience to sea-level rise on a Pacific Island: Species dynamics and ecological thresholds
Kevin Buffington, Joel A. Carr, Richard Mackenzie, Maybeleen Apwong, Ken Krauss, Karen M. Thorne
2024, Estuaries and Coasts (47) 2174-2189
Mangroves can increase their elevation relative to tidal flooding through biogeomorphic feedbacks but can submerge if rates of sea-level rise are too great. There is an urgent need to understand the vulnerability of mangroves to sea-level rise so local communities and resource managers can implement and prioritize actions. The need...
Long-term monitoring reveals management effects on Prairie Warbler colonization, local extinction, and detection in a Massachusetts pine barren
Andrew B. Gordon Jr., Donovan Drummey, Anthony Tur, Annie E. Curtis, Jacob C. McCumber, Michael E. Akresh, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo
2024, Northeastern Naturalist (31) 418-434
Habitat management can directly impact Setophaga discolor (Prairie Warbler) abundance and distribution. Despite regional declines, Prairie Warbler populations at Camp Edwards (Bourne, MA) have increased. To investigate habitat-management effects on Prairie Warbler populations at Camp Edwards, we used a dynamic-occupancy model to analyze a long-term monitoring dataset collected across 84 point-count sites...
